A man’s T-shirt message “kind of brought the whole thing down” at a local Turkey Trot 5K this morning, Dumb Runner has learned.

The unidentified man showed up for the event, at Smith Park, moments before the 9 a.m. start and removed his jacket, revealing a gray shirt emblazoned with the slogan, “MEAT IS MURDER.”

Thanksgiving dinner traditionally includes turkey, a meat.

“Yeah, it was a little weird,” said Johnny Marr, a longtime runner who organizes the low-key untimed event each Thanksgiving morning. “Everyone who saw the shirt just sort of, well… their smiles faded. Let’s put it that way.”

The man finished in the middle of the pack, Marr said, before putting his jacket back on and heading for a nearby parking lot. For their part, participants said they still enjoyed the run, despite the anti-meat messaging.

“Did it ruin the run?” said Morris See, a fellow runner. “Nah. But it was an odd choice of apparel for a turkey trot. I saw it and was, like, Jeez, dude, really?”

See was quick to add that he wouldn’t let the incident affect his Thanksgiving dinner plans.

Mark Remy's DumbRunner.com

DumbRunner.com is a website for runners who enjoy laughter and pie, from longtime writer and marathoner Mark Remy. Dumb Runner offers humor, insight, and 100% B.S.-free advice for runners of all abilities.